Vernon Davis is back as curling's honorary captain

Feb. 27, 2013
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In this photo taken Nov. 3, 2009, San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis learns the game of curling with members of the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club, in San Jose. / Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

If the San Francisco 49ers return to the Super Bowl next year in New York it will be a tight turnaround for tight end Vernon Davis, who is also the honorary captain of the U.S. Olympic curling team.

Five days after the Super Bowl, the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia.

"I'm looking forward to going," Davis told USA TODAY Sports. "I'm just excited to get out there and be involved."

Not every NFL player can say they have their own curling broom. Davis was introduced to the sport almost four years ago when the U.S. team was training at the San Jose Sharks facility.

"I like it because it's very strategic," Davis said. "You really have to plan in order to be able to achieve in this game. I also like it because it's different and I'm the type of person who likes to do things differently than others. To me that's what life is all about."

Before the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, USA Curling asked Davis to be the men's team's honorary captain. "I had a blast," Davis said. "One of the best times of my life."

In Vancouver, wearing a USA jacket with his last name on the back, Davis was repeatedly mistaken for Olympic speedskating champion Shani Davis, who is also African-American but about 60 pounds lighter.

"We will put a first initial on Vernon's jacket this time," U.S. Curling CEO Rick Patzke said.

With his involvement in the sport, V. Davis hopes to broaden curling's diversity. "That's the goal -- to bring a different audience," Davis said.

When Patzke started working with USA Curling about 17 years ago, he said the demographics of the sport could be described as "old, white and male."

"It's changed where there's a lot more diversity age-wise and gender-wise. Getting curling accessible to minority populations is key not only for continued growth and diversity but also for our competitiveness," Patzke said.

Success will also help the sport to grow. After a disappointing performance in Vancouver in which both the men's and women's teams finished in last place among the 10 teams, USA Curling hired its first high performance director.

The women's team, ranked fifth in the Olympic qualifying standings at the end of last year, should earn an Olympic berth with a good showing at the world championships next month in Riga, Latvia. The men, ranked eighth in qualifying, need a top-eight finish at the world championships in Victoria, B.C. to earn a direct bid.

By reaching the Super Bowl, Davis set the bar high for his "other" team. "I hope that inspires them," he said.